


Avatar: The Darkness Awakens

by AvatarBeau96



Series: Saga of Darkness [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action & Romance, F/M, Friendship, Manarki, Marriage, Post-Canon, Spirit World, Spirits, The Dark Spirit (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24368494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvatarBeau96/pseuds/AvatarBeau96
Summary: Set after the events of Avatar: The Dawning of Darkness, Team Avatar has found a peaceful life after the Manarki Insurgence, but the dark spirits far from gone. The God of Darkness awakens and seeks revenge on both the Spirit and Physical Worlds, and will stop at nothing to eventually destroy both. Aang and Katara and the rest of the Gaang team up with Nianzu and his friends to battle the Manarki once again, but will they be enough to stop the darkness from overcoming the light?
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Series: Saga of Darkness [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752841
Kudos: 3





	1. Beginning Again

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second attempt at writing a sequel to my fan-favorite fic, Avatar: The Dawning of Darkness. It has been just over 7 years since I finished the previously mentioned story and about 4 since I first attempted to write the sequel. As of now, the first attempt is still available to read as an "Experimental draft", but this is the official release.
> 
> Usually, I try to strictly stay within the past, present, and future canon of the series. As this piece is being written the canon is still developing through comics from both Avatar and The Legend of Korra. As such, the canon of this story exists in the time it began production, which is shortly after the release of Imbalance, Part 3. The events of this story may or may not entirely depend on the established canon of the original series; it all depends where the project takes me.
> 
> As I know sequels are normally hard to read when the previous entry is such a long one (DoD capped at about 303k words), I can understand it can feel off-putting that in order to enjoy one story you have to devote yourself to another beforehand. However, I will try my best to make that unnecessary for new readers. In addition to a full prequel summary at the end A/N, this story will make many call-backs to the last entry in which I will take the time to explain when able, without drowning my readers with exposition.
> 
> One major change I am making from my original story is that my firebending OC was named Lu Ten in the original story. At the time I had hoped readers would be able to easily distinguish him from being Iroh's lost son, but sadly the confusion came to many readers and at the time it was just not in my priorities to fix it. I also was expressed criticism that Nianzu's team of friends were all men; as we all know, Avatar is highly regarded for its strong female presence. This was sadly something I lacked for my OCs and have regretted it since, as such I have decided to gender-swap Lu Ten for a woman named Liu Teng (similar, but different). Many of you may find this confusing coming from one story to the next, but I hope you understand my reasoning. Perhaps one day I will go back through DoD and fix it chapter-by-chapter there as well.
> 
> Ages for Team Avatar are as follows: Aang 16, Katara 18, Sokka 20, etc.  
> Ages for my OCs: Nianzu 28, Varun 27, Liu Teng 28, Shin 30, and Ekna is 48.
> 
> Without further ado, welcome to Avatar: The Darkness Awakens!

**Chapter 1:**  
**Beginning Again**

_The sky was black, covered by dark clouds that mercilessly attacked the city with rain; roars of thunder could be heard for miles as lightning danced through the air. The surrounding mountains were crumbling beneath themselves, hundreds of tons of boulders rolled down and crushed anything in their paths before striking the damaged city below, destroying dozens of buildings. Only the eastern side of this small city had been scarred; that is until the remnants of one of the Fire Nation's Elite Class airships descended with the rest of the mountain. It crushed nearly the entire city, eliciting a mighty boom as it finally came to a halt, the bits and pieces that broke away joined with the rain as they showered the area. The entire town was, luckily, deserted…but was now nothing more than the aftermath of what looked to be a full-scale war. Hardly anything was left standing, apart from the few lucky structures on the western side of the city._

_Joining the rain and the lightning in the air, a human was seen floating in midair, levitated by two spurts of green cosmic energy beneath his feet. His eyes glowed the same energy that kept him suspended. His head was found glaring at the seas crashing against the cliffs just outside of the town, the pointed rocks that stood in the water crushed each of the waves as they collided and broke them apart. A burst of water that reached at least a hundred feet into the air spewed out of the sea as a creature of black and violet met its very end. The man was left with an aiming look on his face, serious as could be. He slowly descended towards the water, half expecting his nemesis to come bursting out, ready to continue their conflict. He was left nearly convinced that his earlier attacks had finished the self-appointed "Lord", and that the battle between them was finally over, but until he was absolutely sure that this was true he could not turn his back. Lightning crackled in the sky behind him in a violet hue._

_Nianzu was mostly unaware of his current abilities, or how he was possessing them. It was only his will that controlled the energy that kept him propelled in the air and gave him the powers that may have finally finished the spirit that had been torturing him since near birth. He had been on the brink of corruption when something inside him took over; something deep and far more powerful than anything he could have ever imagined. He felt an incredible surge of power and emotion, his anger and pain seem to have transformed into raw energy that now gave him this possession of a power that he never thought possible._

_Just as Nianzu became satisfied that the Dark Lord was finally put to an end, a tendril whipped out from the stormy ocean, wrapping its length around Nianzu's ankle, reaching up to his leg and finally grasping tightly around his thigh. The contact broke his connection to whatever energy he was channeling; his eyes ceased glowing and returned to being gray, his feet no longer emitting the energy that kept him suspended for so long. As a loud scream escaped his gaping mouth, he was ripped from the air and pulled into the ocean, his body crashing into the waves so strongly he lost all feeling in his body and went numb. The freezing temperatures of the water did nothing to help, as it became harder and harder to keep his eyes open, much less to think of a way out of his situation. As he was dragged deeper, it became obvious what the source of this was. Not even seconds later, he was face to face with Tomark once again, but this was nothing like before. Along with his eyes glowing an intense violet, his face was shriveled and distorted, his teeth longer and sharper, his mouth open at least three times wider than he had ever seen it, releasing an ear-piercing shriek that left Nianzu nearly deaf. Although they were underwater, the shrill cry was heard as though they were on land. His hands grasped the sides of Nianzu's head and sunk his claws into his skull. The man opened his mouth to scream in agony, but before he could his mouth was invaded by numerous appendages shaped like tentacles that slithered down his throat. They were choking him; at the same time…they were pulling something from him… from out of him._

_"Darkness will always be at war inside you, Nianzu… give up! Give in to it and reach your full potential…" Tomark softly ordered him, his voice more terrifying than ever. Nianzu had never been truly afraid of Tomark…until this very moment. The dark spirit removed the limbs from the man's throat, but as soon as he had done so, Tomark opened wide his mouth once more, wider than ever before, and lunged at Nianzu, engulfing his body instantly…_

_Nianzu felt nothing…but the energy that had given him power just earlier, was now destroying him from the inside out. He was forced to submit, to become everything Tomark had ever wanted from him: he became a Manarki._

* * *

Nianzu's body heaved forward from his bed with a shout; the sheets that covered him came flying off as his sweating body jerked from slumber. His heart was pounding inside his chest, his entire body quivering and his breath shivering uncontrollably. His hair was damp from the sweat as it dripped down his face. He brought his hands up and wiped himself of the perspiration. He slowly began to control his breathing, realizing that it had been nothing but a nightmare. It was almost an exact replica of his final battle with Tomark… except Nianzu had destroyed him and not the other way around. The nightmares had been recurring more lately.

As Nianzu was finally able to bring his breathing back under control, he was also able to calm down. He covered his face with his hands once more, wiping off the rest of the sweat. Why wouldn't they stop…? The nightmares had been going on for weeks now, and each one seemed to become worse and worse. This latest dream was now the apex of those. He did not understand why these dreams were haunting him. Tomark was destroyed, the world was safe, and since then, things seemed to have been going well for them all…for the most part. Nianzu began to wonder if perhaps the results of their battle against the Manarki was what caused his nightmares. Even though the dark lord was gone, the entirety of the Manarki army was not destroyed with him. They had Yuan, the twisted hybrid of a human soul and a Manarki dark spirit, captured and imprisoned while the Order of the White Lotus was still vigorously searching every corner of the planet for the remnants of the Manarki.

Nianzu finally was able to lie back down onto his pillow, but sleep was nothing but a wish at this point. His mind was too active, thinking back on the events of the past few weeks as he lay awake in his room. Once Nianzu came out to the world beside Aang, things had not gone so smoothly for him. Much of Ba Sing Se and the Fire Nation Capital regarded him as a traitor and criminal. Aang had received the brunt of the criticisms, the world demanding how the Avatar could forgive someone so corrupt and despicable. However, while they criticized Avatar Aang in great amounts, he assured them that Nianzu would be under constant watch. At first, Aang was against this, arguing that Nianzu deserved freedom for his actions as anyone else would, but after discussions between himself, Iroh, Katara, and Hakoda, the monk finally gave in and agreed, with one condition—Nianzu was to live with them, with no restraints. As his Uncle, Aang demanded that his great-nephew be treated fairly in their eyes, even if the rest of the world did not agree.

This alone caused some discomforting disagreements between Aang and his new fiancé. Katara still had been partial to the belief that Nianzu could not be trusted, and to allow him to live in their home? It resulted in more than their fair share of arguments, but when Hakoda and even Sokka supported the proposition, Katara knew she was fighting a losing battle. Her only request was that Nianzu had to be given a home separate from theirs. He was free to join them during meals and other activities, should he obey all their rules and customs. Nianzu agreed, albeit the fact that Nianzu had asked for none of this special treatment. Of course, Aang was always there to reassure Nianzu that they were family, and that family looked out for one another. Since then, Aang and Katara, Sokka and Hakoda, and Nianzu eventually returned to the Southern Water Tribe. After about a week, the rest of Nianzu's team arrived by boat as well, and the four of them shared a home together.

Since Aang and Katara's departure from the Southern Tribe in search of Nianzu, the city had been able to grow larger than it already had since they first arrived after leaving Earthen Fire Industries. At the edge of the city was now an extravagant estate where Hakoda, as Head Chieftain of the South, and his family could live once they returned. The new home had plenty of room for all the chief's family, as well as their new friend. Before Ekna had been assigned to oversee Hakoda after being attacked in Gaoling, the nonbending physician was in the employment of the Beifong Estate to see to their health and wellbeing and was even present to guide Poppy in her birthing of Toph. Years had passed since then, and in just the past year she had become Team Avatar's primary physician. She had even been the one to reveal to Katara her own pregnancy and had since been tasked with being Katara's primary caregiver throughout. She would be close by so that when the child was ready to be born, Ekna would be right by her side to guide her, even though it was still many months away.

Nianzu laid in his bed for several hours more, contemplating everything now. Sleep was now a wasted effort. His thoughts jumped from one subject to the next, before finally settling on getting up and going for a walk. He was not going to get back to sleep anyways, and his mind was as active as ever. A quiet walk may be just what he needed to get his mind off things. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his feet resting on the wooden floor. He kept his body agile and alert, as shown by his impressive muscle tone and abs protruding from his chest. He had grabbed a thick night robe and threw it over his body and slipped into a thick pair of shoes. He already had a pair of pants on for when he slept. Overall, it did not much matter, as he had learned how to control the temperature of his body through his airbending, thanks to Aang, since arriving in the South. Nianzu's bending was strong and skilled, but he had barely learned more about his art than the basics as his parents only had beginners' scrolls that had been passed down from his great-grandfather. He tried to make himself look decent before leaving the darkness of his bedroom and made his way to the home's exit.

His friends, Varun, Liu Teng, and Shin were still sleeping soundly, to his knowledge. Neither of them had complained about nightmares like the ones he had been experiencing. It seemed to just be him and his luck. After all it had been his fault that Tomark and his army were able to exist in the human world in the first place, misguided by the illusions they gave the airbender that their presence would help bring peace. The Manarki were fueled by a craving for darkness and anarchy, which they had nearly achieved when they sought to infect the world with their dark energy just a few weeks prior.

Nianzu strolled the streets of the South Pole, his mind wandering through a variety of topics until he eventually reached Appa's stable unknowingly. It was currently empty, as "Team Avatar" had decided to take a visit to Yu Dao and check on its status about three weeks ago. He had not heard from them since, but that was to be expected. He was not their guardian or anything. Above all else he was simply a pupil to the young Avatar. That is what he told himself, at least.

"They need to spend some time away from me anyways," he spoke to himself aloud, not expecting anyone to be able to hear him. In a way it was true; for nearly eight months they had not truly relaxed thanks to the older airbender and the hunt they had been thrown onto to track him and his three friends.

"So, says you. You need more training if you're ever going to get your arrows before fifty."

Nianzu turned to see his childhood friend, Varun, standing just a few feet behind him with a soft smirk across his lips. Nianzu grunted softly, "And who says I'm going to get them in the first place? I may be able to bend air, but I am no 'Air Nomad.' Fairly sure the concept doesn't apply."

"Guess you'll have to ask Avatar Aang about that when he gets back," the waterbender shrugged as he moved closer, nudging him in the shoulder softly with his elbow as his hands sat inside the pockets of his parka. Despite being a waterbender himself, Varun had never been to either of the poles. He was born in a foggy swamp tribe before his folks moved to a nearby Earth Kingdom village named Kisha, where his best friend Nianzu happened to live as well.

"So why are you up this early? Dawn's not even begun yet."

Nianzu shrugged softly. He did not want to worry his friend with the knowledge of the nightmare he had recently had. There was no need. It was just a dream, he told himself. As far as he was concerned, his friends should just put the last few months behind them and leave it there. Forget about it and focus on their future. He still was not even entirely sure why they had persisted in denying Iroh's offers to give them new lives so that they could live in peace, albeit separated. They insisted they should stay together, and for that to work they had to lay low for some time. Hence why they came with Nianzu to the South Pole.

"Liar," the waterbender spoke softly. "I can tell when something's on your mind. I've known you for almost 20 years."

Nianzu sighed slightly annoyed, "Just a bad dream. That's all, I swear." It was a half-truth at least; maybe Varun would not notice.

Varun nodded and looked over to the bison's empty stable, "So you came to Appa's shed to… what? Relax?"

"I don't know," he simply answered. "I guess I just wound up here. I wanted to go for a walk was all; I wasn't exactly paying attention to where I was going."

Varun nodded to show he understood. "Yeah, sounds about right. I am sure they will be back soon. They did say it was just going to be a checkup, make sure things were running smoothly. I heard in the news a couple of the other colonies are following Yu Dao's example and electing officials for their own governments. I can only imagine how they are making that work."

"The four of us make it work. Bunch of rag-tag benders from different walks of life. Sure, we bicker, but it works. I don't see why everyone else couldn't do it," Nianzu explained, surprisingly optimistic for a change.

"True," his friend smiled and turned back towards the house. "Come on, you should try to get some type of sleep. Besides, without Aang around you can sleep past noon for once. I know Shin will."

Nianzu simply chuckled and followed closely behind his friend. Aang had a habit of waking at the crack of dawn lately, and he always insisted Nianzu do the same so he could train. He was not used to getting up so early, so it quickly irritated him. In the end, however, he knew it was just part of how Aang had been raised. For all he knew the monks were probably a lot harder on his own routines growing up, considering Aang considered himself to be the care-free one.

After they arrived back at their home the two benders bid each other a good morning's rest and returned to their respective rooms. While Varun probably fell right back asleep, Nianzu simply laid back on his bed and let his thoughts wander. Sleep was impossible after the nightmare he had earlier. Hours eventually passed and before noon had arrived the four inhabitants of the home came out of their rooms and gathered for breakfast. Liu Teng took it upon herself to become the cook of the group, acquiring some recipes from Hakoda's mother, Kanna. Shin sat in the corner getting in his morning workout with a pair of dumbbells. Nianzu sat at the table with a newspaper in his hands as he skimmed through the news. It honestly was not much; a collection of articles mentioning the various developments happening in the world, and some columns dedicated to local news. Varun sat across from him reading a book in one hand while his other held a cup of tea that he would occasionally bring to his lips.

"Breakfast is served!" Liu Teng declared as she ducked through the curtains that hid the kitchen from view, carrying four plates seamlessly as she placed them on the center table at each of the four sides. It was a simple breakfast; two eggs scrambled each, a couple of slices of bacon from a pig-chicken, and a slice of toasted bread.

"Finally; I am starving!" Shin exclaimed happily as he bolted for his cushion at his place of the table. The other three benders chuckled and dug into their meals. Even though Nianzu was an airbender, he had not grown up accustomed to the strictly vegetarian diet that his ancestors had practiced. Thankfully, Aang did not preach this custom to the other airbender. He himself, having lived with Katara and her family the last few years, had grown to accept that other cultures were less lenient on their dietary restrictions; nonetheless the Avatar stuck to his personal principle and remained a vegetarian. Nianzu, however, was a born and bred meat eater.

"Don't let Aang see you eating that," Varun joked at his friend who was devouring his bacon first, pretty much shoving the slices down his throat.

Nianzu cocked a brow at him, "I eat what I want. I'm not a nomad," he barked somewhat jokingly after he finished his bacon, moving on to his eggs.

"That you aren't," Liu Teng remarked with a soft chuckle.

The four of them conversed as they ate their breakfast, wondering what it was they were going to do that day. Shin had expressed a desire to offer his help to one of the construction crews a few miles away as they continued to erect more and more buildings. The earthbender figured he could bring in a couple of coins for a few hours of work. They had no intentions of freeloading; even though Hakoda had lent them this home in the first place. They had been collecting some change here and there as a way to pay him back for his hospitality. If he would not accept that, then they would offer their help with anything they could. Liu Teng brought up that perhaps she could check on the machines that had been brought in to aid in construction. Since coming to the South Pole she had been trying to expand her knowledge towards the new technological advancements that were becoming more and more common by the day. It only made sense; perhaps she could become some sort of engineer. Varun oddly felt left out. All he really knew was waterbending; if he had arrived a couple of years ago his talents would be a godsend, but now waterbenders were clearly everywhere with many having come from the North to aid in the rebuilding of their sister tribe. His bending talents would only take him so far with it being commonplace now. Varun eventually decided to instead offer any help he could to Hakoda. Being in a much higher position of power than before, surely, he could use some kind of help.

Nianzu, unlike Varun, was truly left out. Despite Hakoda and Aang vouching for him, the Southern Tribe held a particular disdain for the older airbender. He was the one who had nearly taken from them the Avatar, whom they had come to regard as one of their own. It was expected. Aang was the boyfriend of Katara, the last waterbender they had seen in their tribe decades, who had not only assisted Sokka in the trial of ice-dodging (or in his case, rock-dodging) but had saved the world from the evil Fire Lord Ozai and his blood-thirsty armies. When they returned, they were nothing short of heroes. Aang lived with the chief's family as an honorary member of the tribe for nearly two years before the hunt for Nianzu began. The people of the South were heartbroken when it was purported that Nianzu had slain their brother, and even with Aang's support they had only eased their contempt for his sake, but Nianzu could still see it on their faces, just like he still saw it on Katara's.

It was not long after they finished breakfast that a knock came to their door. Each of the benders became alert; it was not often they had visitors. Out of the four of them it was Nianzu who first approached the door. He poked his eye through the small peephole and saw Hakoda waiting patiently outside for someone to answer. Nianzu unlocked the entry and opened it.

"Morning, Chief," Nianzu respectfully greeted him, opening the door further and gesturing for the older man to enter.

"Good morning, you four," he smiled and nodded to each of them. "I hope this isn't a bad time. I assumed you all have already had breakfast?"

Shin chimed in, "You guessed right, Chief Waterman."

Hakoda raised a questioning brow, confused, "Water-man…? Well that's new," he shrugged with a soft chuckle. He cleared his throat, "Um, anyway…" he regained his posture and pulled an envelope from the pocket inside his parka. "This came for you early this morning. It's from Aang."

"A letter?" Nianzu asked curiously. "Why is he sending a letter? I thought he was supposed to be coming back soon?"

"Well, it beats me," the chieftain shrugged as he unveiled a second letter. "I received this one myself from Katara and Sokka as well."

"What does it say?" Liu Teng was the one to chime in this time, standing from her seat with Varun moving towards Nianzu.

"I haven't a clue. I haven't opened it yet. I thought since Nianzu and I both got a letter, perhaps I should wait, and we could open them together. I'm assuming they are related."

In ways, neither of them were ever expecting. As they each opened their letters, they were taken aback by the words written in both letters. Aang was not returning, and neither was Katara and Sokka. At least not for a while. The letters to both the chief and airbender had detailed that the gang had stopped by Toph's father's factory, Earthen Fire Industries only to find the surrounding area had quickly developed into a city that had been quickly named Cranefish Town. That was not all, however. They had faced a Bender Supremacy movement that threatened to force all non-benders from their homes. Luckily Aang and the rest of Team Avatar had been able to abolish the movement by arresting its leader; however, they had quickly decided that the city needed them further. Team Avatar was going to stay in Cranefish Town indefinitely. However, Aang still sought to continue Nianzu's teachings and as such, had attached four tickets for a boat from Whale Tail Island to the city. Katara herself had attached one herself for Ekna so that she could follow. As her pregnancy continued, she would need Ekna around to help her. Hakoda, unfortunately, was not given a similar gift from his children, though he knew why.

He had responsibilities of his own here in the Southern Tribe. As upset, he was that his family would once again be apart for who knows how long, he told himself that it was not an intentional act. Katara and Sokka had become prominent figures in the world. They were attached to Aang seemingly by the hips. Wherever his Avatar duties took him, they would follow closely behind. However, he could not act as though he was not stung by the fact that his own daughter wanted Ekna to come to stay with them as well but not even offer the same courtesy to her father. It made sense, all things considered, that she would need Ekna sooner or later, but he was not even given the satisfaction of a proper goodbye when they left for their trip in the first place. Many of their possessions were still in their room of the estate, clothes, pictures, memoirs, and other belongings. Hakoda knew Aang was not much for worldly possessions besides the clothes on his back, but his own children… He simply could not ignore that he was indeed hurt by their abrupt decision.

"What kind of name is Cranefish Town?" Shin exclaimed.

Nianzu pulled the tickets from the envelope, giving them a look over to make sure the information on them was correct. "Our next destination, it would seem. You three start packing," Nianzu turned to his companions as he gave the instruction. Even to this day he was still their leader; despite the equality the four benders felt between another. "We'll grab a boat to Whale Tail Island by sundown."

Hakoda pressed the envelope back into his pocket and cleared his throat, "Let us give you some food for your trip. It's the least I can do." The chieftain spoke as if unfazed by the letter he had just read, but Nianzu could hear the hurt in his voice which likely prompted the act of kindness. Hakoda had treated them fairly; he appreciated that, but the four of them had not done anything to deserve having him give them food for their trip.

The airbender raised a hand in protest, "Please, we appreciate the offer, but we can't accept. Your family has done plenty for us: giving us a home, this home, the groceries these past few weeks; it's plenty."

"Perhaps," the chieftain cocked a brow and gave a half-smirk, "but you two don't have enough food here to take with you for such a journey. Please, let me help you. Besides," Hakoda continued as he approached the exit, "without you four, who knows what our world would be like at this very moment. My tribe has no clue, but I do. They may look at you and see villains…" Hakoda turned his head away from them for a moment, "…but you are heroes, just like my son and daughter, and Aang. You don't give yourselves enough credit."

Nianzu simply nodded and gave him a bow of respect that the older man returned before leaving. Nianzu's face dropped into remorse. Hakoda was hurt; he knew for sure now, but there was nothing he could really do without knowing what had offended him. Hakoda was a stubborn man and if he did not want to talk, he wouldn't. Nianzu would just have to accept his help and prepare for the journey ahead.

"Looks like we're beginning again, eh, Nianzu?" It was Varun that spoke this time and brought Nianzu from his thoughts. "Seems like it was only yesterday we were on another boat to some new part of the world we had never been to before."

"Hopefully, this time there won't be an army of dark spirits waiting for us," Nianzu joked half-heartedly, not even cocking a smile. "It's another trip; nothing more. I'm sure we'll only be there for a few weeks tops, and we'll be coming right back here again."

Varun waved a hand dismissively and turned towards his bedroom, "Only one way to find out."

Nianzu turned towards a nearby window and saw Hakoda still walking outside, slow, and unmotivated. His brows dropped again, and his lips straightened; "I'll make sure they come back. What could be so important in Cranefish Town that they need to abandon their home yet again?"

* * *

That night the five of them had set sail for the tail-shaped island, fully packed for the adventure ahead. Ekna brought her full medical kit and a bag full of outfits, which was pretty much all she had. Before leaving the Southern Tribe she and Hakoda had a heart-to-heart on his feelings towards his children leaving once again. Though she could not promise anything more, she gave him her word that she would find out why it was that they decided to stay in Cranefish Town and attempt to convince them otherwise. She hoped that maybe all they needed was a few weeks and they would be ready to come back home, but a part of her felt that if she had been summoned, alongside Nianzu's entire team, then perhaps it was more than just a prolonged visit. She just hoped that they would return to the tribe before she gave birth. Unbeknownst to her, Nianzu had the same plan in mind for his uncle, Aang.

It was getting late, and the crescent moon had reached its apex in the starry sky as Nianzu's were fixated on it. He denied himself any kind of sleep, fearing yet another nightmare. The air was sharp and strong, though like before it did not matter much to him. He barely felt it, becoming lost in empty thoughts that did not go anywhere. Without even realizing it, Ekna had soon joined him at the bow of the ship where he leaned against the railing. She was wearing a light parka to keep her warm from the freezing breeze that the South Pole was known for. She stood beside him for minutes until she realized that he had not even acknowledged her. He was off in another galaxy; she could see it in his eyes.

"They aren't going to come back, are they?" he finally acknowledged her presence.

She released a soft sigh, "We don't know that. Aang has a responsibility to the world; wherever it needs him that is where he needs to be. As for Katara and Sokka, the same might as well go for them as well. They'll follow Aang anywhere." She was speaking her own mind as much as she was Hakoda's own thoughts from earlier.

"And if Cranefish Town doesn't stop needing him?" he raised a brow at her.

"I… I don't know, Nianzu. I wish I did. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Nianzu had not known a home in forever; nearly 15 years of his life he had been traveling from place to place. Somehow, though, the Southern Tribe had seemed to grow on him rather quickly. Perhaps it was Hakoda, Aang, and Sokka making him feel so welcome, or maybe it was just a longing for something permanent. After all, the few weeks he had stayed at the South Pole were the longest he had settled anywhere; not spent in a tent or an inn. An actual home where he could establish himself again. Of course, the people of the Water Tribe still despised him, but that could not last forever; at least, he did not think it could.

* * *

_**Darkness… Fear… Torture…** _

Those were the words that rattled around in Yuan's head for what felt like an eternity. One moment he had been imprisoned in a cell that was seemingly inescapable. His arms had been locked into pillars with dense metal brackets that covered them completely and made any bending from them impossible. A similar brace had been locked around his throat to make easy breathing a thing of the past, disabling his ability to use his fire breath. Four chains attached to the floor were connected to the brace and pulled to a length that had kept the human-turned-Manarki firebender forced to his knees. His back was given a shell-like device that forced a series of acupuncture needles into his spinal cord. He could, quite literally, not move a muscle. The icing on the cake had been his only source of water in the form of tea with herbs brewed that would block all his chi. Together, neither his Manarki nor human powers could free him. He was left there to rot for life, or until the prison itself had decayed into nothingness; whichever came first. Until something began to take shape before his very eyes.

A group of colors, bright and electric, and in a flash a swirling vortex of black and violet had coalesced into being, spiraling electricity the color of blood surrounding it. The young demon had come face to face with an evil aura unlike that of which he had ever experienced before in his life. He had been promised freedom, power, and a new body. None of which had been given to him…yet.

Now, he was trapped in the hollow trunk of a twisted tree in a void of darkness. An orb of spiraling red energy prevented him from escaping. He had the freedom of movement, but that was it. The energy that contained him, however, was more than just a barrier. It was twisted and unstable, spouting streams of lightning towards the abomination of soul and spirit. It was a torture he could never have fathomed if he had not experienced it on an hourly basis. Though he had no sense of time. There was no sun setting or rising. It was all a pitch-black nothingness… until one day when it was not.

One day, he felt as though he had been hauled to another world. He was now deep on the outskirts of the Spirit World, where there lay an extravagant ocean that was rumored to be expanding into near nonexistence. The ocean glowed a bright and violet hue, but the liquid itself was blue. The sea was still, dormant and without a single ripple. It was almost like ice, were it not for how little light existed shined their reflections. Rising from the water every second were hundreds of little yellow orbs of light, so small and fragile, yet not bright enough to overcome the darkness that shadowed the entire plane. Sprouting from the water were plants resembling trees, however, they were black as if scarred by fire, and twisted and shriveled as though dead. The trees extended far out into the sea but ended just at the sands of the beach of which the sea began. The sand had taken the appearance of volcanic ash. The island had little to no vegetation, aside from another set of trees, different from the ones in the water but similar all at once. Each of them was ripped open, revealing them to be nothing but hallowed trunks, among an assortment of dark rocks. As far away from the rest of the Spirit World that this island was, it was just as close to any other realm in the mythological world. Despite this, however, its existence was known by only a few spirits and was presumed uninhabited. That was not in fact the case.

This island had once been flourished with great spiritual energy, capable of allowing Spirits to simply walk into the sea and instantly cross over into the Physical World. In the last few thousand years, the area had become corrupted and tainted with dark energy, an enormous dome of blood-red swirling energy surrounding it. Any spirit who came near it was instantly reformed by the darkness, bent to its unbound will. Only a few spirits managed to escape the great cataclysm that had transformed this once peaceful island and those that did ensured that no other of their kind would be drawn to it. That is until two spirits had been brought to the island by force.

On the edge of the northern-most beach stood a cloaked figure. The robes which concealed the figure seemed to be made of pure darkness as smoke was smoldering from every edge. The rest of its details could not be made out. The spirit was left suspended from the dome at the edge of the beach by chains of pure white light as it watched the yellow orbs of light as they rose from the dark sea. Every now and then, one of these lights would drift toward the spirit. It would attempt to reach its arm out, revealing from the sleeve of its cloak a violet-skinned and black-clawed hand, and catch one of these lights in its palm. By the time the hand opened, the light had always been corrupted and instead turned to violet. The creature would clench its fist with a soft growl.

"Where am I…?" Yuan demanded with a trembling voice. He had preferred everlasting darkness to being faced with this horror of a creature yet again. Even though they were not facing, Yuan could feel its eyes on the back of its head, peering into what remained of his soul.

"The Sea of Souls…" the creature spoke with a rasping voice as though it were an old man on the verge of death, yet commanded authority, nonetheless.

Suddenly six tendrils shot out from the creatures back towards Yuan's cell, tearing through small holes it had created and splitting until a small gap had been made in the barrier. His soul became terrified by its power, taking as many steps back as it could until Yuan's back bumped into the twisted interior of the trunk that imprisoned him. With two tendrils the creature vaulted its limbs towards the firebending hybrid, grabbing him by his wrists and lifting him in the air, mirroring the image of the chained creature in front of him. A surge of cracking electrical violet energy ran through the tendrils and into Yuan's body, shocking and torturing him beyond imagination.

"What do you want with me?!" he managed to scream through the pain. The energy sent waves through his body like lightning that should have fried him to death. That would be a mercy.

The creature released Yuan with a toss that caused his body to crash violently against the ground, quickly retreating to its home beneath the cloak of the creature. The gap in the barrier reformed without them and Yuan was on the ground wincing in pain from behind a near-transparent ball of crimson.

"They have cut me off from their minds…" the creature spoke again, softer this time. "Tomark guided them. He wanted them to himself; but they were mine to control. He was mine to control. Then the energybender destroyed him…"

"Its power…takes away _His_ strength. _He_ is getting weaker. The celestials are aligning…"

"What does that have to do with me…?" Yuan found himself able to stand again, albeit barely.

The creature slowly turned its head. Yuan could just barely make out the glow of its eye peering from beneath its hood.

"Without them… I cannot be freed." The creature snarled. "Tomark failed everything, and left me with you…" It became louder, like a bloodthirsty animal, "…Abomination!"

* * *

_**Previously, on Avatar...** _

Avatar: The Dawning of Darkness begins in a prologue taking place before the beginning of the Hundred Year War, at Aang's home at the Southern Air Temple. Instead of following Aang, the chapter follows his close friend, Sojin, who was a little over a year younger than Aang, and his escape from the Temple and the Fire Nation's armies following their attacks that began the War. Sojin is able to escape to Kyoshi Island on his bison and supposedly survives to live out the rest of his days in the Earth Kingdom. 103 Years Later, it has been 3 years since the end of the Hundred Year War and Yu Dao is on its way to becoming Republic City in the future. Aang and Katara live peacefully in the Southern Water Tribe with Sokka and Hakoda. The first few chapters mostly detail how the couple goes about their daily lives with the world seemingly at peace. However, in Chapter 5, new characters are portrayed. They are an Earthbender named Shin, a Firebender named Liu Teng, a Waterbender named Varun, and finally, a new Airbender named Nianzu. Nianzu is led to believe he developed his Airbending abilities when he was in his early teens as a way for the world to come back into balance in the event the last known Airbender, Avatar Aang, was never found. However, instead of sharing his ability with the Avatar, Nianzu is on a mission to find out how the Spirits were able to give him the ability to bend. His journey takes him to Gaoling, where Hakoda is visiting for a meeting. Unknown to Shin and Liu Teng, Hakoda once encountered Nianzu and Varun during the war before the Avatar returned. Nianzu reflects that during a Fire Nation raid on a village, Hakoda and his warriors attempted to drive back the Fire Nation. Varun and Nianzu, using his swordsman skills instead of bending, helped the warriors, but they were soon all ambushed. Hakoda was forced to retreat, but the two benders were surrounded. Hakoda had to fall back and could not save the two who had aided them. The Southern warriors retreated on their boats and Nianzu and Varun were left at the mercy of the Fire Nation. They had been able to escape, but the two never forgave Hakoda for his betrayal despite how they saved him and his friends. Nianzu, feeling an incredible surge of anger, leads an attack on Hakoda that leaves him nearly dead, prompting Aang and Katara to leave their home to be with Hakoda and track down his attackers.

Nianzu continues his journey and in his sleep, one night receives visions of Spirits, who offer their assistance in Nianzu's quest, provided he free them. He is then tasked to collect the Four Elemental Gems of the Physical World, one of which was embedded in Hakoda's necklace that Nianzu had stolen as a trophy. Nianzu is given the locations of each of the Four Elemental Gems, and the first to find is the Gem of Earth in The Cave of Two Lovers and the Gem of Fire located in the Dragon Bone Catacombs of the Fire Nation Capital City. Due to Liu Teng's diverse knowledge of the Fire Nation, they are easily able to steal the Gem but are faced with Fire Lord Zuko. The four benders escape the Fire Lord and eventually make it out of the Capital City unharmed. Zuko then contacts Aang and lets him know of the attack, and reveals that out of his attacks, one was an Airbender that resembled Hakoda's attacker. Aang is shocked to find out another Airbender exists and hopes to figure out why he has been attacking people. Nianzu is then shown that Aang holds the final Relic containing the Gem of Air, embedded in his necklace. He waits for the Avatar to come to the Fire Nation, and he finds an opportunity with Aang alone with Sokka, he strikes. He uses a mix of his swordsman skills and his airbending and is able to subdue Aang long enough to steal his necklace. Nianzu barely escapes the two and regroups with his friends, and that night is given a new dream from the Spirits to go to the site of Wan Shi Tong's library. The four are given an Airship by one of Liu Teng's friends, unknown of their involvement in the recent attacks. They then proceed to the Desert and find the planetarium still intact despite the rest of the library being primarily buried.

Unknown to Nianzu and his friends, the Spirits that have been contacting Nianzu are truly an ancient race of Dark Spirits known as the Manarki, imprisoned thousands of years ago. They escape their prison in preparation for leaving the Spirit World for good and wreaking havoc on the Physical World. Nianzu and others place the gems on the calendar and turn the tiles to represent that day's date, the day of the Summer Solstice. A portal is then opened and the Manarki are able to escape, with four of them taking over each member of Nianzu's team while the rest spread out over the world until told otherwise. Tomark, one of the more powerful Manarki Spirits, takes over Nianzu's body and forces him and his team to attack the Avatar. Unknown to them, another Spirit escapes the Spirit World, dressed in familiar clothing and wearing the mask of the Blue Spirit. Aang ends up in Ba Sing Se, expecting that to be Nianzu's next location of the attack. He ends up being right and Nianzu and his team arrive, their bending stronger than ever before due to the influx of energy from the Manarki taking over their bodies. Aang is initially able to hold back the four attackers, with Katara joining in to help him. However, Tomark uses the obvious connection between Aang and Katara and uses Nianzu's body to attack Katara. Katara is already busy dealing with one of the other benders, and Aang realizes he has no time to bring up a barrier. He forces himself into the path of the dagger and is mortally wounded. Nianzu and his group escape, leaving Katara to hold Aang's body as he slowly appears to pass away.

Following Aang's death, Katara deals with weeks of depression and unbearable coping. Eventually, Hakoda is nursed back to health and goes to Ba Sing Se to help his daughter during her time of grief. Eventually, Katara befriends a firebender named Yuan making a new life for himself in Ba Sing Se. Yuan becomes attracted to Katara and hopes to become her new lover. Katara begins receiving various visits from the masked man wearing the Blue Spirit Mask, who has no memory of who he is or how he got there but somehow remembers Katara fine. As Katara is preparing to leave Ba Sing Se, she meets with Yuan a final time to tell him she is leaving, but Yuan reveals he wants Katara for himself. She denies his attempts to kiss her, but he reveals more than his pretty face. He ends up attacking Katara, binding her arms so that she cannot bend. Before Yuan can go farther, he is attacked by the Masked Man. Despite Katara's insistence to help, the man denies it and orders her to return home. The Masked Man and Yuan fight, and eventually the firebender finds himself under the collapse of a wooden fire escape the Masked Man brings down on top of him, killing Yuan. Later that night, the Masked Man discovers who he is, and loses the mask. He reveals his face to Katara. The Masked Man is actually Jet's spirit, manifesting in Physical Form since his escape from the Spirit World.

While this all happens, Tomark leaves Nianzu and friends' bodies and imprisons them. The other three Manarki fuse with Tomark and become an all-powerful Manarki spirit. Nianzu is left with the memory of all his actions and begins to realize he had been controlled by Tomark and the others for all this time, including his attack on Hakoda just so he could grab the Gem of Water from the chief. He begins to meltdown with the guilt of his actions. Tomark leads his stolen airship to the Sun Warriors' Temple, using the Dark Gem Tomark had used to aid his side of the escape from the Spirit World to corrupt the Golden Dragon egg placed at the center of the temple, transforming it into a Dragon of Darkness, named Axil (this was before it had been confirmed that this egg was going to be born as Zuko's dragon in LoK). The Manarki, along with their new Dragon, decide to bring Nianzu and Varun back to their home village of Kisha in order to prove that it is now the Manarki that control the world with the Avatar gone. They lay waste to the village and it's inhabitants, killing them all. Nianzu and his team are able to escape Tomark, but are left cornered in the barn of Nianzu's parents. They are able to wound Axil, destroying his eye, but he quickly lashes out and murders Nianzu's mother and father. In anger, Nianzu is able to use all the power he can to push back the Manarki and escape the barn. Liu Teng devised a plan to make the Manarki, and even the world, believe they had died by posing four victims of the attack in a burning home along with a piece of evidence from each of the four benders. The four were then able to escape, with the Manarki and Tomark believing that Nianzu and his friends had died in the fire. However, Tomark remained largely unconvinced and awaited the return of Nianzu.

While in the Spirit World, Aang becomes summoned by Wan Shi Tong to be presented for the Sunachi, a group of Four Ancient Spirits representing each of the Four Elements. They reveal to Aang that the world still needs him and that he is, in fact, not dead, but his spirit has been separated from his body, leaving his body to appear dead with the faintest of heartbeats. That night, in the Physical World, Katara and her friends and family visit Aang's burial ground to celebrate his 16th birthday, the year in which Katara and Aang had planned to get engaged. Later that night, Toph feels Aang's heartbeat and digs him up, discovering he is actually alive. In fear of Aang's safety, Toph brings Aang back to Gaoling where he will be safe until he heals. When Aang awakens, he is angered to find his being alive is being kept secret from Katara and the others, and, despite being encouraged not to, he leaves Gaoling and goes to Ba Sing Se. Meanwhile, Tomark feels the dark energy surrounding Yuan's spirit as it roams the Physical World. He brings Yuan to a city named Wishato that Tomark has seized as the starting point of his Kingdom, and offers him to become part Manarki so that he may exact his revenge. Yuan agrees and is corrupted by Tomark, turning him into a half-human/half-Manarki being. The Dark Lord then tasks Yuan to kill Aang's family after feeling his energy returning to the Physical World. Yuan accepts the task and heads to Ba Sing Se to end the remainder of Team Avatar.

Yuan, with combined powers of enhanced firebending and the abilities the Manarki hold, attacks Katara, Sokka, Zuko and Hakoda, and nearly is able to kill them all when Jet appears once again to help the others, but even he isn't enough to hold Yuan back this time. When it seems Yuan's abilities will be all he needs to finish Team Avatar, Aang suddenly reappears and attacks Yuan violently. Once he dispels Yuan, he collapses and is brought to Hakoda's penthouse, where it is revealed that Aang is harboring a significant amount of Dark Energy that is affecting his personality and trying to consume his Avatar Spirit. Meanwhile, Nianzu and the others are traveling back to Ba Sing Se under fake identities to tell Team Avatar of the Manarki and to admit their crimes. They find Toph along with her close friend and family physician, Ekna (who helped Hakoda after his attack in Gaoling), and follow her to the hotel where Hakoda is staying.

Nianzu decides to separate from the others to face Hakoda and his family. Hakoda is the one who answers and is immediately on the defensive, choking Nianzu against a wall until Nianzu expresses his guilt in tears. Hakoda becomes somewhat convinced, and Nianzu continues to express his guilt. Eventually, Hakoda becomes convinced of Nianzu's guilt and allows him to express the guilt of his crimes to Katara and the others. Toph immediately imprisons him in rock and Katara lashes out at him. Aang overhears the arguing and awakes from his coma. In a trance-like state, Aang pulls both himself and Nianzu into the Spirit World, where they are brought to the Sunachi. They reveal that Nianzu is the great-grandson of Sojin, Aang's friend from before the Hundred Year War, and then reveals that Sojin was actually Aang's brother, making Nianzu Aang's great-great-nephew. They then reveal the art of Energybending to Nianzu, who then uses the ability to purify Aang's spirit of the Dark Energy embedded in him by Tomark, and announce that Nianzu, through his many acts in life, can one day possess the full powers of Energybending. The Sunachi then tells them of Tomark's plans and his location. The two are then returned to their bodies in the Physical World where they tell the others of the Manarki's plans, and that they must all work together to defeat them.

While Nianzu and Aang were in the Spirit World, Varun, Liu Teng, and Shin also met with Team Avatar. The next day, they are told of Nianzu's relation to Aang, and that this is the true reason he is able to Airbend, and they all begin devising a plan to defeat Tomark and the Manarki. Iroh enlists the help of the White Lotus to aid the teams in their strike against Tomark's army of Manarki. A week later, a force of Airships and White Lotus sentries along with the two teams get ready to finish the Manarki in Wishato. Sokka, Hakoda, the White Lotus and Varun, Liu Teng, and Shin plan to take the battle on the ground against the Manarki forces and Axil. Sokka gives Nianzu a new sword, identical to his old one. Meanwhile, Aang, Katara, and Nianzu split from the others to face Tomark and Yuan. When the fight begins, Tomark flees to his airship and Nianzu follows, leaving Aang and Katara to deal with Yuan.

Due to the power of the Winter Solstice, Yuan's power was increased (along with the rest of the Manarki), making him a formidable foe for the powerful couple. Their battle tipped in scales numerous times until Yuan was finally able to get the upper hand on the two, nearly snapping Aang's neck before Katara lashed out and unleashed an ability she never knew she had: psychic bloodbending. She was, luckily, able to release her grip on both Yuan and Aang, and Yuan was then swiftly defeated and was put in custody by the White Lotus. Meanwhile, Nianzu chased after Tomark and boarded his airship. He headed to the control room and set the airship on a crash course towards a nearby mountain range. Nianzu then faced Tomark for the final time atop the ship, though instead of using bending, the two battled with blades. They were both equally matched until the airbender was able to sever both of Tomark's blades, but the dark lord then scarred Nianzu's face for life, and Tomark finally subdued Nianzu and attempted to corrupt the airbender for good. Before Tomark could succeed, a deep power rose from Nianzu and he was able to possess the full power of Energybending long enough to destroy the Dark Lord for good.

Upon the Manarki's defeat, the remaining forces retreated and left the rest of the world in peace. Katara was badly injured during her battle with Yuan, and went through an extensive healing process the weeks following the battle. She was then confirmed pregnant by Ekna, and soon after Aang kept his promise and asked for his girlfriend's hand in marriage, which she happily accepted. Nianzu and Aang then spoke about the use of energybending during the final battle, but Aang did not agree that Nianzu had unlocked the powers for good, nor had he opened his chakras. Instead, they both assumed the power came from when Nianzu's body had been seized by Tomark, and when he left his body, remnants of the Dark Lord's energy remained. Later that night, Iroh discussed with Nianzu's team that they would need to split up until enough time had passed, otherwise the world might attack them for their crimes should they be discovered alive. The teams celebrated their victory that night at the Jasmine Dragon where Katara faced Nianzu for a final time, explaining thoroughly that she had not forgiven him, but for Aang's sake would give him the chance to prove himself. In the epilogue of the story, Yuan has been imprisoned in a secret fortress run by the Order of the White Lotus. Although seemingly inescapable, Yuan was stolen from the facility by an even darker Spirit than Tomark, one that had become known as Erebus, the Spirit of Darkness and Shadows.

**With that, _The Dawning of Darkness_ came to an end. For those that stuck around to read this summary, I appreciate it and hope you will be motivated to read the rest of The Darkness Awakens. Thank you all once again and I hope you enjoy the story.**


	2. Welcome to United City

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

**Chapter 2:  
** **Welcome to United City**

Three days had passed since Team Avatar had brought Liling to justice and brought an end to her bender supremacist movement. She and her daughter, Yaling, were being transported to the nearest prison where they would serve out their sentences away from Cranefish Town, where their followers remained. Once the town had been stabilized, Aang, Katara, and Sokka agreed to stay in town to help it overcome its many other problems. Along with them, Suki had dedicated herself to helping create a proper police force that would deal with the crimes that plagued the rapidly growing city. Toph would be staying with her father, Lao, for some time to help bring Earthen Fire Industries back into production after it was nearly destroyed from sabotage. With the entire team deciding to stay in Cranefish Town, it was only a matter of time before Nianzu and Ekna would need to join them so that the airbender could continue his training and Ekna could help Katara along with her pregnancy. Aang brought up the ideas as they all walked along the shore of the beach they had cleaned up just a few days prior.

"But we don't have a place for all of them," Katara explained to Aang. "The home Lao gave us only has enough room for the five of us. Where are the rest of them going to stay?"

"You let me worry about that, Katara." It was Toph that interjected, coming up to the two lovebirds as they walked through town. "I'm sure my dad and I can get another place for them. Besides, he is going to need my metalbending if he's ever going to get the refinery back up and running before production gets too far behind," she explained with a boastful smile. "I'm sure he would happily pay me for my services in the form of a favor."

"We have already asked for too much," Katara retorted. "A place to stay for a few days was one thing…" she began, looking to Aang before back at Toph, "but we could be here for months, maybe longer."

Aang spaced out from their conversation as his eyes were fixated on an island just a few miles out into the bay. It was its own landmass with a small forest growing atop it; the water gently beat against the cliffs. It had a peaceful aura to it that called out to Aang like some kind of beacon. He had only visited it once before when he and Katara went for a ride on Appa and landed there when Aang was stressing over the current state of the city, feeling as though the town's growth had encouraged chaos rather than progression. It was then that he started to feel that the city could do more and be more than it was now. Sharing that moment with Katara, on that island, gave him the hope that Cranefish Town could grow to be a place that preserves and protects. It was then that he realized his connection to this place was more than the traditional festival that had taken place here by the Air Nomads over centuries ago. This town, that island, was calling out to him in ways he had never experienced before. Katara had mentioned that the current state of the town was not deliberate but was instead the result of many people just trying to live their lives and find their own piece of land in the world. Aang thought, maybe… that this island could be their own piece of land. A place to grow and settle and watch over the town, where people from all over the world were coming to live and thrive.

"Maybe, we only need a place for a few months…" Aang spoke without the conscious that he had done so aloud.

Katara turned to her fiancé with her brow cocked in a confused look. "What do you mean, Aang? What are you thinking?" she asked before seeing that he was fixated on the island in the distance.

She looked to him, then back at the island, when she was suddenly reminded of the vision of her and Aang in their older years, coddling a small child in a blanket together. It was the same future she had envisioned when she had met the Morishitas, who were a mixed family of Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation heritage, when they visited Yu Dao for the first time. This time, though, it came with the vision of a home where they all lived together that was neither at the Southern Water Tribe or one of the Air Temples. It was their own place, a piece of the world that only they shared. A home where they and their friends could live together, where they could raise a family.

"I'm thinking about… a home."

* * *

Nearly another week later, just an hour or so before sundown, the vessel carrying Ekna, and Nianzu's team, had arrived in Cranefish Town, slowly making its way towards the docks. Even from the bay they could see the astonishing size of the city that had seemingly been erected overnight. Each of them expressed awe at the sight of it. They had each seen many large cities before, having been to both the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom's capitals, but the sight of this one was unlike any others. Whereas the other cities they had seen had been the same for centuries, this one was clearly modern with architecture that was entirely different from anything they had ever seen. Despite all of this, however, each of them was still perplexed as to why Team Avatar had decided to stay and summon the five of them. It was a sight to behold for sure, but it still wasn't anything that they thought would attract the gang, except for maybe Sokka and Toph who were always impressed by something new that was unlike the rest of the world. Aang and Katara, however, were rather traditional. Why would they choose to stay in a packed city made of buildings that were hastily put together over the comfort of their home at the Water Tribe?

The ferry soon docked at the beach across from a trail that led into the center of town, where the five of them could see Aang, Katara, and Sokka waiting and waving to them below on the dock. Aang was wearing an updated version of the outfit he had worn for the last few years. It was still essentially a redesign of the outfit he had cobbled together from the remnants of his training clothes after the Coup of Ba Sing Se until they themselves had been burned away by Ozai during his and Aang's battle. Now it was a tad darker and the pants were yellow with orange boots.

Katara and Sokka also seemed to have updated their outfits. Now, Katara's hair was down apart from her signature hair loops. She continued to wear her mother's choker necklace, though now she wore her own betrothal necklace given to her by Aang from when he proposed. It was looser than her mother's and settled just below the choker. The design was a mixture of the waterbending and airbending elemental symbols, giving the illusion that the air currents were producing waves. The necklace was divided to resemble the icon for Yin and Yang. The air currents were a soft yellow while the waves were a turquoise blue. She wore a short bright Olympic blue tunic that rested at her waist, followed by a navy blue skirt with white fur trim that reached down to her knees over a pair of pants of similar color, finished by a pair of white and grey boots. Her wrists each had a white cloth wrapped around them with a touch of blue just below the hands themselves. As usual, she carried a water-skin pouch on her left hip for quick access to water. Though she had become experienced at pulling water from the air in sizable amounts, she always kept the pouch at her side just in case.

Sokka's outfit was a bit similar. He wore a light blue sleeveless shirt with a light sash around his waist that served as a belt, followed by dark blue pants and dark brown boots that came up to just below his knees, with a padded arch that served as guards for the joints. He wore fingerless gloves that reached to the middle of his forearms. As usual, he carried his trusty boomerang in a pouch strapped over his right shoulder and settled on his back. On his left hip was the sheath of his meteorite sword, a redesign of his original in which the guard was now designed with that of a wolf's head where the blade settled within the jaw.

The passengers on the boat had each picked up new outfits for the warmer climate. Out of all of them, Nianzu still had the same outfit. Unlike Aang, he had dark brown hair atop his head, and a short thick beard strapped around his jaw with a sharp tip of facial hair just beneath his chin. He had three jagged streaks across his left cheek that dipped into his beard, a permanent reminder of his final battle with Tomark. His outfit was inspired by his airbender heritage and that of his departed mother who had left the Northern Tribe when she was a girl. It was a complicated mixture of golden yellow and navy blue. His sleeveless shirt was primarily blue while the cuts of his sleeves and collar were golden yellow. The collar loosely encircled his neck until they reached his chest where it was slightly parted with two thin white fur tails that were attached to the bottom of the separation. A red wrap served as his belt around his waist where a thin navy-blue patterned sash with a white fur lining sat loosely between his legs. His pants were also navy blue and reached to his ankles where a pair of yellow boots with red laces extended to his knees. He too had navy wraps around his wrists. Inside his clothes, he concealed a set of sai that could retract into the form of daggers. He held a sword in its sheath over his shoulder, a meteorite-bladed sword that Sokka had gifted to him shortly before his final battle with Tomark. As it was now, it was his most prized possession.

Shin was a heavily muscled dark-skinned earthbender with emerald eyes. His outfit was rather simple; an emerald green sleeveless shirt with gold linings paired with grey pants and boots. His hair was long, straight, and jet black, reaching down to his shoulders. He himself had a separated thin mustache just over his lips with a thin goatee. Liu Teng, who was the only woman in the group of four, was a firebender who had golden eyes with jet-black hair that reached down to the middle of her back and put into a tail-like braid. She wore a light red sleeveless top with that exposed her midriff with dark grey shoulder pads and included a cross-shaped sash that wrapped over her shoulders and around her waist. She wore a complexly designed skirt that mixed red, gold, and orange that reached to her black boots accompanied by a dark pair of pants. Varun was a brown-skinned waterbender with shaggy brown hair that covered his ears and sat just above his cyan eyes. He wore a sleeveless yale-blue shirt with a white belt with a mixed design that was meant to signify his heritage as both a waterbender and his origins with the foggy swamp tribe. His pants were navy blue with dark boots that sat just below his knees. Unlike Katara, he carried two water-skins that sat in the middle of his back.

Ekna was the oldest of them all at nearly fifty. She retained most of the color in her hair save for a few streaks that had made their presence known. She wore her hair at shoulder's length and was dressed in a long soft green short-sleeved tunic. It parted at her hips but extended in the front and back down to her ankles. Under it was a pair of grassy green pants with cream-colored shoes with black tips. Though she wasn't a bender, she was a skilled and profound physician in her own right, having served the Beifongs for nearly twenty years until she was tasked with overseeing Hakoda's health after he was attacked by Nianzu and company, and shortly aided the Avatar's recovery when he was retrieved in a comatose state. Since then she had been an honorary member of the Avatar's family. She was also beginning to teach Katara and Varun more about the human body and how their healing abilities could be improved beyond what they already knew. Katara was already becoming an incredibly proficient healer, but with Ekna's knowledge, the physician knew the young waterbender could one day be the greatest the world had ever known.

The five of them were finally able to disembark and walked in a tight group down the platform where they were officially greeted by the other three.

"Ekna it's great to see you again!" Katara exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around the older woman in a friendly hug before she pulled away, "I have some questions to ask you. I haven't been experiencing any of the symptoms that you said I would. I was wondering if maybe you could give me a checkup… when you're settled and relaxed, of course."

The older woman smiled and nodded, "Of course; we can't be too careful. If you and Aang are comfortable with it, could Varun perhaps join us? I want to give him some instruction that he can use for his healing abilities, something you could learn as well."

Katara thought for a moment. One of the benefits of having Ekna around was for there to be another woman that could help guide her through her term, but even she couldn't deny that the presence of a healer made everything all the easier. Only he was a man, one she had only known for a while and was still skeptical towards. Though, after considering the idea she eventually agreed. Varun was a male healer, a rare commodity in any case. He had just as much to learn as she did. It was something he could use to help others, rather than harm. The world needed as many healers as it could provide.

Meanwhile, Aang and Nianzu were catching up. "You've been doing your exercises while I was away, right?" Aang asked him.

The older airbender shrugged and rubbed the back of his head, "Well, maybe not every day… or all of them. Look, Aang, I get it, exercises and breathing and all that, but I know the basics. I pretty much mastered them years ago. If you want me to learn something, at least teach me what I don't already know."

"Fair enough, my young pupil," the Avatar smirked.

"Young? I'm 28; you're 16."

"Technically, I'm 116," Aang explained, pointing a finger upward in a matter of fact. "Therefore, you are young."

Nianzu chuckled and measured the height between them with a smirk, "Sure, keep telling yourself that, shorty."

"For the record, I've grown a lot since I came out of the iceberg! I used to be shorter than Katara, you know."

Sokka was left talking to the other three. He and Shin were both proud fighters and they were able to relate to another that way. Liu Teng and Sokka both liked discussing the constant technological advancements that were taking place in the world and would discuss together their own ideas for what may come next. He and Varun had the least in common, but they were both best friends to airbenders, so that was something. Despite how the four of them had once been enemies to the other three, the time since then had felt like an eternity and they became closer and closer as they spent more time together.

"Come on, guys, follow me," Aang interrupted each of their conversations. "We got a house set up for you all to stay in for a while. I'm not entirely sure how permanent it is yet, but it's a roof over your heads for a couple of days at least. Five of us are already sharing one nearby."

"Five? Who else is here?" Varun asked.

"Toph and Suki are here too. Toph's the one who was able to loan you four the house that you'll be staying in. Although its only got two bedrooms, so you may have to share," Sokka explained as he passed them and caught up to Aang and Katara who were walking hand-in-hand. They eventually caught up with Toph and Suki who greeted the others on their arrival and joined them on the tour.

Toph's outfit had been changed slightly. While her green clothing had remained pretty much the same, the eggshell sleeveless overshirt had a more elaborate design along with a golden sash around her waist instead of a belt like before. Suki now wore a green outfit she had been given by Katara from when they had snuck into an underground bender supremacist rally just a few weeks prior. It was a lighter green tunic that separated at the hips and rested on the sides of the thighs with a darker green dress that went down to the knees paired with similarly colored pants and brown shoes.

Nianzu and company's house was a bit smaller than that of Team Avatar's, who had a three-bedroom home where Katara and Aang shared a room while Sokka and Suki occupied another. Toph had the spare bedroom to herself until now, as Ekna would be staying with the team. It was still a nice home, one of the only truly sturdy buildings in town and already furnished with everything they would need to be comfortable. Both homes had a full kitchen and bathroom, each fully stocked with the proper necessities, as well a small study with enough room for a stocked bookcase and a reading desk. Once the four friends had been introduced to their home, they quickly assigned rooms. Nianzu and Varun would share one while Liu Teng and Shin would the other. Liu Teng and Shin were past the discomforts of being in the same room together. The four of them had camped together for years and there were plenty of hot humid nights where Liu Teng especially could not handle sleeping in her normal outfit and usually stripped down to simple coverings. Neither of them had any feelings towards the other so it never became an issue, and by now it was normal for them even though Liu Teng would casually tease Shin on the matter.

They settled their bags in the rooms and freshened up before dinner. Toph was treating them all to a meal at a nearby restaurant to welcome their arrival. One of the benefits of being a Beifong that was no longer on the run and being an executive partner of Earthen Fire Industries was that she always had money to toss around, without any personal desires to spend it on. By the time sundown had arrived, all ten of them were grouped at conjoined tables inside a prominent noodle restaurant.

"So Aang, Katara, when are we going back to the South Pole?" Nianzu interrupted the chatter of laughs and conversations with his inquiry before slurping a bundle of noodles from his chopsticks into his mouth.

The couple's smiles quickly faded, and they exchanged soft glances. Aang set his bowl down softly, "Nianzu, I don't know that we are. Not for a while at least."

Nianzu cocked a brow disapprovingly, "Exactly how long is 'a while.' You didn't exactly leave the Water Tribe with bags packed. You were supposed to be back from a quick trip to Yu Dao by now, but instead, we are here in a big industrial city that seems to be growing more by the day…" he ranted with a progressively irritated tone. He took a moment to check himself, "I guess I just am wondering why. This place, it just doesn't feel like you. I know I haven't known you for long, but I can tell this isn't exactly your usual setting."

"No, Nianzu," Aang began again softly, his hand intertwined with his fiancées atop the edge of the table, "you are right. This place is different from what I am used to, comfortable with even; but there is something about this place that grabs my attention. It may be dirty and unstable, but you must see it from my perspective. People from all over are migrating here, benders and nonbenders alike, regardless of nationality. And they are doing it on their own. One of the issues we were having with Yu Dao and the other colonies is that they were forced to live together when the Fire Nation invaded decades ago, but they proved us wrong. Many of them have started their own families together and they work and live together, in peace," Aang began explaining.

"And now, here in Cranefish Town, they are doing the same thing, all on their own," Katara continued. "This place is truly the first of it's kind. It has problems, of course, especially between the benders and nonbenders, but we believe it can overcome its problems and become something special. In order for it to do so, though, it needs us. All of us."

Nianzu could still feel the cold stare coming from Katara's eyes as she continued Aang's point. She had promised to treat him more fairly from now on ever since he had helped save Aang and the world, but her contempt for him nearly slaying the Avatar in the first place was one that would not quickly vanish. She tried her best to hide it, for Aang's sake, but Nianzu felt it all the same. He had to admit, it was not nearly as bad as before when she would dig sharp claws of ice into his skin as she passed him, but that icy look in her eyes somehow inflicted just as much pain.

It was Sokka who continued the argument for staying this time. "With Suki helping with the formation of a police force, crime will soon be appropriately dealt with and the citizens will be able to live happier and safer. Each of us can have a part to play, to set an example even. Look at us, we are all from different places, benders and non-benders, yet here we all are at the same table eating dinner together. If we can do it, so can the rest of the world and it's our responsibility—no, our duty—to do our part to help bring it to a place of unity and strength." Sokka's face suddenly lit up with glee, "I just figured out the perfect name for this city!"

Suki turned to look at Toph while the blind girl simply shrugged, acknowledging that his tendencies with names were usually a hit or miss. Katara had jokingly tasked him with giving the city a new name since they had all unanimously agreed that 'Cranefish Town' was a terrible one, but it seemed he had taken it to heart and had finally thought something up.

Liu Teng chimed in, "What's that, Sokka?"

Sokka stood out of his chair triumphantly, "United City!"

Everyone shared looks with another, nodding in agreement. It was much better than 'Cranefish Town', and it was the final nail to hammer in their point to the rest of the table. Hearing it now, Nianzu couldn't argue with their reasoning for staying. He still did not approve of how they had gone about it, but nonetheless understood why they did not want to leave anytime soon. They each had plans, that much he knew. They would all be needed to help bring the city to the goals they had set, and until those goals had been achieved, they would not be able to bring themselves to leave.

"I understand," the airbender spoke softly in defeat and returned to his meal. "Well, if we're staying, the rest of us are going to need jobs. We have already freeloaded off you all for long enough."

"My dad's factory needs more help if we're going to get it back into manufacture in time," Toph chimed in with a solution. "Until the machines are repaired, we are going to need all the help we can get. You three can easily find work there; I'll let my dad know he has volunteers now."

Varun cast a smile to the blind young woman, "We appreciate it. We will do everything we can to help."

Nianzu finished another bowl before speaking again, "What about me? What can I do?"

"You and I are going to work on your training," Aang explained. "I've already sent a letter to the Air Acolytes to come down as well. They've been at the Northern Air Temple with the Mechanist and Teo to assist in rebuilding."

"Yay, training…" Nianzu grimaced. "Well, at least when they get here, I won't be the only one stuck in a room with you for all hours of the day."

* * *

Soon they all finished their meals and the crescent moon had overtaken the sky for the past few hours. It was sometime before midnight when all ten of them began to make their way back to their homes and settle in for the night. They all walked together, continuing to talk and enjoy another's company as they strolled through the lantern-lit streets. They had just reached the gang's home and began to head inside. The air was filled with laughter and chatter until a spine-chilling scream filled the air. They all turned to find Katara on her knees, clutching her stomach with Aang right beside her trying to find out what was wrong.

"M-my scar," she managed to say before another pained shout escaped her. Aang instantly went on alert, scooping her up in his arms.

"Ekna, Varun, I need you both—now!" he ordered and charged into the home towards their bedroom. The two followed closely behind with the rest of the group right behind them. Aang set her down gently, his eyes shaking with worry. His fiancée had tears of pain streaming down the sides of her face now, clutching her stomach trying to mitigate the pain. The couple was immediately concerned for the worst. Katara was supposed to be just over two months pregnant and their first concern was the child. Katara had already been severely injured by Yuan during their fight just a month prior. Though the injuries themselves had healed, she was left with a shriveled scar on the right side of her stomach.

As soon as Ekna suggested they remove her shirt it was done. She still had her bindings to cover her chest, and it was enough for them to see the damage that was left behind from the battle. The scar resembled the wounds of a burn, the skin shriveled and a soft red. There was a soft purple glow emitting from it.

Yuan had been given enhanced firebending that was the color of violet when he had been turned into a Manarki. His bending was combined with dark cosmic energy that delivered devastatingly powerful strikes. During Aang and Katara's battle with the Phoenix, the twisted hybrid had nearly succeeded in killing Katara but was ultimately defeated. In the end, he left her a parting gift in the form of the scar on her abdomen. She was assured it wouldn't affect her ability to carry a child, but now fear had overtaken those assurances. It was one of the reasons she had desired Ekna to come to stay with them as soon as possible. Despite the fact she was supposed to be in the second month of her term, she had not experienced any of the symptoms she was promised. She had no mood-swings or odd cravings; she felt no nausea or fatigue. All those factors notwithstanding, she still had not experienced that time of the month since she believed she and Aang had conceived a child. It had been their first time after all. After everything they had experienced in the months that led up to that night, the last thing that had been on their mind had been protection. They simply longed for another. After the battle against the Manarki, it was Ekna that gave her the news that she was pregnant. Now it seemed that it was all at risk…

"No, it can't be…" Aang gasped and his breath shook. "It was gone; you told me it was gone!" he cried at Varun. Originally it had been Varun's healing abilities that had helped to purify the dark energy left behind from Yuan, and he was certain at the time that it had all been expelled from her body, but it seemed to be clear now that it was not indeed the case.

"I did everything I could, Aang. Just like I am going to now. I wasn't exactly trained for dark energy!" the waterbender exclaimed.

"None of us are," Ekna laid a comforting hand on the shoulder of the male waterbender as he gathered some water from the air, covering his hands with liquid gloves as they began to glow. "Aang, I need you to calm down. Varun and I will do everything we can. Keep her company, get her mind off this while we work. Can you do that for me, dear?"

Aang looked to his pained future-wife and nodded his assurance, setting down on his knees beside her as he held her hand and tried to pull her attention to him. He gave her calm promises as he ran his other hand through her hair. It was times like this that Aang began to ponder the option if it was possible for him to learn to heal. He was the Avatar after all; if he was supposed to be a master of all the elements then it should have included the sub-elements as well, right? Aang had never tried out metalbending or lightning before. They never really caught his attention before now, but healing was something genuinely useful and would play to his peaceful nature.

Varun quickly got to work with his healing abilities. The glow of the water lit up the room as he sought out the dark energies that had twisted inside her body. He knew that last time he had worked on this area before he felt an abundance of energy, though it did not feel tainted as it did now. When the announcement of her pregnancy came up, he was convinced the residual energy may have been that of the child that had begun to grow inside her. In the end, he could not know for sure. He wasn't trained to use his healing for such in-depth practices. Throughout all his life he had only used this ability on wounds such as cuts and broken bones. It was only thanks to Ekna's own experiences with the human body and the methods that she had learned over the years that he was able to detect the unusual energy surge within the scar of the woman before him. After about an hour-long healing session, Katara's pain subsided and she felt comfortable again. Varun's water seemed to have absorbed the dark energy as it was now darker and emitted soft patches of violet light. Aang pulled a small rock through the window from the ground outside and carved it into a small hollow orb that he split open. The tainted water was guided into the container and Aang swiftly enclosed and buried it deep underground. He did not want to risk the water corrupting anything else.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Aang asked Katara softly, intertwining his fingers with hers once again as he returned to her side.

She nodded softly, "Better," she assured him by resting her hand against his cheek and stroking it gently with her thumb. "What... what happened?" she turned to Varun this time.

"I don't know exactly," he admitted. "Maybe whatever Yuan infected you with was still there, hiding. I remember feeling more energy when I first healed you, but it didn't feel like it was negative. But then again, as I said, this isn't exactly my area of expertise. I'm not particularly skilled in healing."

She nodded softly with a reassuring smile, "Maybe I can give you a few lessons. I learned a lot of what I know from Yugoda when we visited the Northern Tribe all those years ago. Plus, with Ekna around, I'm sure we could all stand to learn more."

"I would be happy to help," the older woman responded with a soft smile and short bow.

"Me too," Aang chimed in, catching Katara's attention. "I want to try and learn healing, that way I can be there for you the same way you have been for me all these years. If it wasn't for you and your abilities, who knows where I would be right now."

Katara cast her future husband a solemn glance and held his hand tighter, "We know where," she said simply. "I would be glad to try and teach you what I know as well, if you can pick it up."

Varun stood from the chair he had taken a place in for the healing session and began to head for the door, "I'll give you all some privacy."

"Wait, Varun," Katara called out to him, "did you… did you feel them?"

He was taken back by the question. He wasn't entirely sure how to answer. "I was really only focused on the dark energy," he explained sheepishly. In truth, Ekna had told him that he should be able to detect another life force's energy if she were pregnant. Ekna had taken the time to research healers' abilities from the libraries in Gaoling before she had left to aid Toph and her friends in Ba Sing Se. Though she could not practice it herself, she could help guide others, such as Varun now. On top of that, he should be able to pinpoint a miscarriage. As Ekna described it in the past, the energy would feel twisted and shriveled. Fortunately, the healer had not felt any of that from the session. On the contrary, aside from the dark energy, the only life force he had felt was Katara's own.

Ekna spoke up this time when the couple became more worried. "Varun, you need to tell us. I taught you that much."

"I…" he struggled to find the words before taking a deep breath. "I didn't feel anything. I felt the dark energy and your own life-force, but I didn't feel anything else. It wasn't… That's not a bad thing because you didn't…" his breath began to quicken as he could not find the right way to say this. He took another breath and walked closer to the couple, squatting down to their height as he laid his hand in comfort on the younger woman's. "You did not have a miscarriage. You aren't pregnant. I don't think you ever were."

Aang and Katara's faces quickly dropped into sorrow. For a month now they had been certain that they were expecting a child. It was Ekna, a world-renowned physician, who had presented them with her own assurance that Katara was expecting. Though they were relieved it had not been a miscarriage, they could not help but mourn the idea that their future as parents was now delayed. Of course, the first time they had been intimate was not for the purpose of conceiving, so it was somewhat bittersweet news. On the one hand, Katara's injuries and body had not rejected her, but on the other, it brought back the doubts that she could not carry at all. Ekna had assured her she still could, but she had also been positive the young waterbender was pregnant. Now, all those doubts were returning.

Ekna was taken aback by Varun's revelation. She was distinguished in her skills; healers, however, would always be more connected to the human body than she ever could be. Not with the day's current technology and information. She hoped that one day nonbenders and healers would be on an equal playing field. Until then, she used methods she had learned over the years and the information she was given, and she explained that to the couple now as they all sat in the same room. At the time, Katara having not had her period in over a month seemed to be a clear indication. As time passed and she continued to not experience the symptoms of pregnancy, Ekna herself became worried that her diagnosis was incorrect. It was not until just minutes ago she had been proved wrong. Katara was not pregnant, and never had been. She was still a healthy young woman, so Ekna instructed Varun to perform a second healing session where she would use all her knowledge to guarantee that Katara was still capable of carrying. If not, she would do everything in her power to reverse it.

Katara and Aang were angry at first, demanding to know why Ekna would give them such promising information if there was nothing to guarantee it. If she had not been pregnant but could still carry, she could have moved on; for a month now, she had informed all her friends and family that she and Aang were with child. Katara felt like a fool. She should have waited and found another healer in the South Pole that could have confirmed Ekna's diagnosis. The couple put all their faith in an inexperienced healer and a woman who could only know so much at an early stage. At the end of the night, they had put aside their anger. It wasn't long before Varun was able to confirm that Katara's body was still capable of carrying children. The energy in her uterus was still pure and untainted; it was the closest that both science and bending could come to a guarantee that a woman was capable of carrying a child. The couple thanked them both but requested some time alone to gather their thoughts. Both Ekna and Varun nodded in respect and subsequently left the room.

"How is she? Is my sister okay?" Sokka immediately hounded them as they came out of the room. His face was full of worry; why it had taken them nearly the rest of the night to finally come out.

"She is fine," Ekna assured. Varun nodded to the young warrior. "Yuan's dark energy was still there; it must have been hiding, but we are certain that we expelled the last of it. Varun and I are going to stay close by just in case, and when Katara is feeling up to it, she is going to try and teach Aang how to heal herself."

The whole room breathed a sigh of relief knowing that their friend was okay. Nianzu tried not to show it but his body had been shaking the entire time they were locked away in the room. If Katara was beyond hurt, if something happened to her child because of the deadly forces he had unintentionally unleashed months prior, he would never forgive himself. He still had a hard time coping with many of his actions in the past, but Aang was his family now, his great-uncle; that practically made Katara his great-aunt even though they had yet to wed.

"There is somewhat upsetting news, though," Ekna began. "We… I was wrong about Katara being pregnant. She didn't lose it; she never had it to begin with," the woman explained to Sokka. "My initial diagnosis was wrong, and I am sorry. I failed your family, and I hope you will forgive me."

"You haven't failed us," Sokka spoke softly as he approached her. "If it was not for you, my dad may not still be with us today; neither would Aang. You gave your services to us in our darkest hours, and we can never repay you for that. You are one of us now; you're part of Team Avatar, whether you want to be or not. No take-backsies," Sokka grinned as he finished.

Ekna smiled at the kind words and thanked Sokka for them, bowing respectfully to the young man. Liu Teng, Shin and Varun decided to turn in for the night now that everything was okay again. Ekna, Toph and Sokka debated the same but they wanted to check on Katara first. As of now, she and Aang wanted some privacy while they discussed the news they had been given earlier. Nianzu stayed behind while his friends made their way to their home down the road. He had the urge to go in and apologize to them, for getting them into the mess that had caused her pain. Eventually, he brought up the courage to walk up and knock on their door.

* * *

"How are you feeling?"

Katara was brought out of her thoughts when her fiancé finally broke the silence between them. She was turned away from him as she had rolled off the bed and began to strip down from the rest of her clothes until she was left in her bindings and sarashi. Aang knew she had heard him and was concerned that she had intentionally ignored him. Though he could not tell if it was directed at him personally or if it was just a response to the feelings she was experiencing.

She folded up her outfit and set it on the nearby dresser as she finally sighed, "I'm fine, Aang…"

"You know I don't believe you."

"What do you want me to say? 'Yay, we aren't having a kid'? I'm just…" she finally flopped down on the bed as Aang came up behind her and wrapping his arms around her chest to comfort her.

"I know… I'm sorry I asked. Can I be honest with you about something?"

She laid her hand on his and stroked the top of it with her thumb, signaling that he was free to speak. "I'm… I'm wondering if, maybe, this is probably a good thing."

She turned to look at him with a questioning frown. "A good thing? Do you not want to have children with me?"

"No, of course I do; that's not what I am saying at all," he defended quickly. "What I am saying is… Katara, we are still young. I may be sixteen, and in some areas of the world we would be obligated to having kids by now, but you must admit that right now, especially, may not be the best time for us. We still have a lot going on in life; we don't know where the world is going to take us next," he looked away for a moment. "Where it's going to take me, at least."

She turned around to face him, looking him in the eyes as she moved her hands to the sides of this head, "I will follow you anywhere, in this life and the next," she assured him softly before pressing her lips to his. They shared a passionate kiss that neither wanted to break away from. Her eyes began to flood with tears that rolled down her cheeks. When Aang felt them drift onto his hand he pulled away from her and pulled her head to his chest.

"I know you will. That's what I am trying to say, Katara. Maybe… maybe we should wait until we are better prepared for the life ahead. I want us to have a place to call our own…"

She remembered how a week ago he had been fixated on the island a few miles out into the bay that she and him had landed on to discuss what could be done with Cranefish Town and its problems. She remembered him mentioning the idea that maybe they only needed a place in the city for a few months.

"What do you think about the idea of making the island our home?" he bit his lip softly as he awaited her response.

"There's all that forestry there, though, Aang… There isn't much clearance to build on," she pointed out. She knew that with the world developing more and more, he was growing tired of seeing environments getting torn down to make more towns and buildings.

"No, there isn't," he admitted. "But I had an idea. The Air Temples were not always where they were; there was once a time when the mountains were covered in trees and flora themselves, but the monks built around them. They created a space that was their own, apart from the rest of the world, but still radiating in spiritual energy. What if we did the same? Toph, Shin, and I, we could clear away whatever is necessary and build a home for us and the Acolytes. Maybe I can even build another temple for me to teach them in. Dorms for them, a house for us, the temple, a shed for Appa, a place where we can grow together."

"You really think you could do that?" her face began to light up to the idea.

Aang nodded gleefully, "I do. The nomads may be gone, but you and I, with the acolytes, we can rebuild my culture together. It will be more like an 'Air Nation'. We could call it 'Air Nation Island'?"

"That's worse than Cranefish Town," she teased him, giggling softly to herself.

"Do you have a better name?"

She thought for a moment. She pulled away to look into his eyes deeply, "Air Temple Island."

"That sounds perfect," he answered, pressed a hand to the back of her head to pull her lips onto his. Before he knew it Katara was pressing more against him, causing him to fall back on the bed as she straddled his hips. Her hand rubbed his bald head while her other cupped his cheek. He had a way of pulling her out of her thoughts. In a way she did not want to admit, he was right in the end. They were both still young, despite how mature they were for their age, and there was still no telling where Aang's Avatar duties would take them. They had a home in the Southern Water Tribe, of course, but despite everything it never felt like their own. For Aang to teach the Air Acolytes the ways of his people he would need a large space for them to live in and practice their teachings. Not all of them could grow accustomed to the freezing temperatures of the South Pole as easily as Aang had. He had his bending to help with that. Katara never wanted Aang to feel pressured into living in her tribe in the first place; it was simply the first place they could have called home.

Katara pulled him to a more upright position as she unwrapped the sash around his waist and subsequently pulled his shirt from over his head, tossing it aside as she recaptured his lips in hers. She sucked on the skin of his bottom lip and nibbled on it, eliciting a moan from him.

The idea of turning the isolated island into their own home was one that sparked her heart with joy. Despite the problems that Cranefish Town had, the island had given them both a vision for the future in which they could one day raise their future children among everything else. They could keep a watchful eye on the city as they helped it overcome its issues, with plenty of room for their friends and family to join them if they so desired. The sadness of not being pregnant was quickly overcome with the thoughts of marrying Aang on that very island. She could already see it now; she made a mental note to share the ideas with Suki the next morning.

She squeezed her legs against his sides as they continued to passionately make out, softly whispering each other's names to another as she gradually removed more of Aang's clothes until he was down into his underwear. She loved to be the one on top of him; it gave her a sense of power to know that she was the one taking charge with the almighty Avatar. Her body was growing hotter by the second as Aang moved their bodies so that they were both upright with her straddling his lap and his arms under her shoulders around her back as he began to remove her chest bindings.

Before they could continue further, they were interrupted by a knock on their door, prompting a groan from them both. It felt as though the last year had not happened and Sokka was back to disrupting them just as they started to really get lost in each other's presence. They took a moment to try and bring their hot and heavy breaths under control before speaking. Aang was obviously the first to do so.

"Yes?"

Katara smacked him softly, "We don't have to answer. For all they know we could be asleep."

Aang shrugged softly as it was already too late. The damage had been done.

"It's Nianzu; may I come in?"

Katara hopped off the bed and went to grab her night robe from the nearby hanger, fixing her hair a bit to avoid the idea that they were just moments away from making love to another. Once she had secured it against her body, she gave Aang the go-ahead. He himself had been able to pull his pants back on just in time to answer the door and slowly opening it.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, um, I just wanted to talk to you both, for a moment, if you aren't busy or anything."

Katara settled her hair behind her neck and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, "What's up?"

"I just… Um, I wanted to apologize, to you both," he began awkwardly. He cleared his throat, "I wanted to say I was sorry to hear about the news you got tonight. I cannot imagine it was easy to hear. I wanted to apologize… Katara, you should not have gotten hurt in the first place. I'm sincerely sorry, and I hope that it doesn't stop you from having kids later…"

Aang turned to his wife-to-be to see her reaction. She simply smiled softly and nodded, "Thank you, Nianzu, but it wasn't your fault. You had no control over Yuan. It was my fault for having nearly gotten involved with him in the first place. You have nothing to be sorry for. And, the good news is, I am still able. Aang and I were just discussing it, and we have decided we are going to wait a while before we try again. After we are officially married."

For the first time since he had known her, Katara spoke to him sincerely without any malice in neither her heart nor her eyes. She truly did not blame him for once; she had accepted his apology but rejected it all the same. She was genuinely happy despite the circumstances, something that caught the older man off guard. He was sure he would have received cold stares from her in which she blamed him for the false diagnosis she had been given just a month prior. He thanked her for taking the time to listen and left their room, leaving them alone yet again as he made his way to his own home where his friends undoubtedly awaited him.

Once Aang had closed the door behind him he turned the lock and looked to his wife with a smirk, "So, where were we…"

She grinned and gestured his pants with her finger held back, "Drop them…" she answered as she untied her robe and shifted it from her shoulders, allowing it to drop to the floor as she approached the airbender with a lustful smirk.

* * *

Nianzu soon made his way through the door of the home they had been loaned to find the main living area dark and uninhabited. He assumed everyone had gone to bed by now, closing the door behind him and flipped the latch to lock it. He was beginning to make his way to his bedroom when he noticed a soft flicker of light from the study room down the hall. For a moment he considered the idea that Liu Teng was getting some late-night reading in, but was curious, nonetheless. It was getting late and it was possible she was just waiting up for him to make sure he was home before getting to bed herself, or she could have passed out without realizing it. Either way, his room was just across the hall and it would not hurt to check just to make sure. It would not be the first time she had passed out while reading.

Once he reached the room, he found it empty. A reading candle was lit beside a rolled-up letter with an indigo-blue wax seal on the top. Nianzu approached it. Upon further inspection, the wax seal had been stamped with what appeared to be the image of the lotus tile from a Pai Sho set. Curiosity overwhelmed him and he broke the seal to open the letter. It was addressed to him specifically. He looked around for any sign of forced entry but found none. Whoever had left this had either been granted entry or was a profound practitioner of stealth to have been able to make it past Varun and Liu Teng undetected. He continued to unfold the letter and took in its message.

Once he had read the message, he set the paper against the candle and set it in a small bowl nearby, allowing it to burn away completely before turning towards his room.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Sokka asked surprisingly as he leaned against the wall of an abandoned factory settled out on the outskirts of the city, just minutes before the sun would be rising over the horizon.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Nianzu retorted, himself surprised to find Sokka.

Sokka chuckled softly, tossing the other man a small object from his pocket. The airbender caught it and took a moment to examine it. It was a Lotus tile from a Pai Sho board, nothing special or unique about it, aside from the fact that it was exactly identical to the seal on the letter which he had found that instructed him to arrive here just before dawn the night before.

Nianzu flipped it in the air, "You got a letter too then, I'm assuming?"

The warrior nodded, "I got that tile from Master Piandao after he finished my training. I've held it with me ever since, and it looks like it was meant for something."

"The Order of the White Lotus… What do you think they want with us? And what's the secrecy about? It's not like we do not know who they are. Isn't Iroh a Grand Lotus or something?"

Sokka shrugged, "Dunno; but it must be important for them to have summoned us in this way."

Not long after, a carriage drawn by two ostrich-horses pulled up next to the two of them; their drivers were clad in dark blue robes with hoods that concealed their identity. The door to the wagon opened; the two of them didn't need any further instruction. They both entered the carriage and closed the door behind them as the ostrich-horses took off. There were no windows, no way to see the outside world, but they figured that was the point. Sokka knew that the White Lotus was a secret society, but to Nianzu and the rest of the gang, they were ordinary people who tasked themselves with protecting and sharing knowledge across national and political divides and more recently aided in keeping balance in the world wherever the Avatar could not. It was the White Lotus who had aided both teams while fighting back against the Manarki forces that had overtaken Wishato, and subsequently had been the ones to imprison Yuan after his defeat.

The ride lasted was felt like an hour as the sun had fully risen and its glow emitted through the cracks in the wagon. Not long after they came to a full stop and the door was opened for them by another figure in the same concealing robes as the drivers. Nianzu and Sokka exited the animal-drawn vehicle and came to face a small building resembling a shop of some sort. The figure gestured a hand towards the entrance, its head bowed down out of respect and, possibly, to further hide their identity. Nianzu and Sokka shared a glance and walked into the building. To their guess, it had been a flower shop, but there was no clerk or owner in sight. Instead, they were greeted by a group of figures adorning the same uniforms like the others they had interacted with before; this time, however, their outfits were much more intricately designed with a white cape and lotus-inspired shawl across their shoulders. Sokka noted that it had been the same outfit that Iroh had worn when he and some of Team Avatar's older mentors had liberated Ba Sing Se during Sozin's Comet.

"Welcome, young ones, to the Order of the White Lotus…" a figure approached them, removing his hood to reveal himself as Sokka's swordmaster and the man who had given him the lotus tile all those years ago: Master Piandao.

* * *


End file.
